Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged Western countries to fulfill the plan of UN envoy to Syria as he said the opposition militants were responsible for the massacre of more than 100 people in the town of Houla.
World powers had to "play the game of fulfilling the Kofi Annan plan and not the game of regime change," Lavrov said at a joint news conference with his British counterpart William Hague.
"We are deeply worried that the Annan plan is being implemented unsatisfactorily. We are still far from our goals," Lavrov said.
On the massacre in Houla, Lavrov said some victims had been killed at close range in a district controlled by opposition militants.
As he said that Russia was "deeply alarmed" by Houla massacre, the FM said: “we are dealing with a situation in which both sides evidently had a hand in the deaths of innocent people," he said.
"There is no doubt that the government used artillery and tanks and this has been reported by UN observers who have visited the scene," he said.
"There is also no doubt that many bodies have been found with injuries from firearms received at point-blank range. So the blame must be determined objectively. Nobody is exonerating the government or the rebels but we must understand how it happened so that it can never be repeated."
For his part, Hague warned there will be "chaos and civil war" if the Annan plan is not implemented.
"The alternatives are the Annan plan or ever increasing chaos and a descent closer and closer to all-out civil war and collapse," he said.
Annan Arrives in Syria, Says “Shocked” by Houla Massacre
UN special envoy to Syria Kofi Annan arrived in Damascus on Monday in a bid to salvage his peace plan.
Annan said he was shocked by the "tragic" massacre, which killed more than 100 people in the town of Houla.
In remarks to reporters ahead of a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, Annan said the massacre in the central Syrian town was "an appalling moment with profound consequences.”
"I am personally shocked and horrified by the tragic incident in Houla two days ago, which took so many innocent lives, children, women and men," Annan told reporters at a Damascus hotel.
"This was an appalling crime, and the Security Council has rightly condemned it…Our goal is to stop this suffering. It must end and it must end now.”
The former UN secretary general said those responsible for the massacre must be held accountable, and called on "everyone with a gun" to abide by his six-point blueprint to help end the crisis.
"I urge the government to take bold steps to signal that it is serious in its intention to resolve this crisis peacefully, and for everyone involved to help create the right context for a credible political process. And this message of peace is not only for the government, but for everyone with a gun.”
Annan called for the implementation of his peace plan, saying he would hold talks with President Bashar al-Assad and other figures.
"The six-point plan has to be implemented comprehensively. And this is not happening.
"I intend to have serious and frank discussions with President Bashar al-Assad. I also look forward to speaking with a range of other people while I am here."
- Al-Jaafari: States Interested in the Success of Annan Plan Should Stop Arming and Embracing Terrorists
- Lavrov: Political Solution to Syrian Crisis without Foreign Interference, Some Sides Call on Opposition to Foil Annan's Plan
- SHRN, Syrian Observatory for the Victims of Violence, and Levant Scholars Condemn Recent Massacres in Homs
- 22 Army, Law-enforcement, Civilian Martyrs Laid to Rest
- Four Law-enforcement Members Martyred in a Terrorist Blast in Damascus Countryside
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